11 Male Celebrities Who've Opened Up About Anxiety

Do you ever have worry or fear that goes way beyond what a situation calls for? Do you find yourself plagued by jitters, stomachaches, and racing thoughts you can't seem to control? If so, you might be dealing with anxiety.

Lots of guys have anxiety – including some of your favourite celebrities. What's more, they're using their platforms to bring awareness to mental health issues and encourage other men to get help.

Here are 11 celebrities with anxiety.

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Getty ImagesRandy Holmes

Clark Gregg

Clark Gregg, who plays Agent Phil Coulson in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, opened up about his anxiety and panic attacks in an op-ed for Men's Health in 2018. He said cognitive behavioral therapy—aka CBT—has been a "game-changer."

"I find it calming to know that wherever I am, I don’t have to wonder if I have a pill nearby; I just know I can do these exercises, and it's going to become manageable," he said.

"I have three older brothers," he said. "Our father was tough. He wasn’t easy on anyone. And he wasn’t easy on himself. I think the anxiety might have started there, trying to find ways to control others by trying to control myself. At the time, I never recognised that. I was just a twitchy kid."

"I was a worrywart kid. I was always worrying," he said on the Today show. "My father died when I was 5. I had an ulcer when I was in high school. I've been nervous my whole life."

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Getty ImagesAdam Pretty

Michael Phelps

"Throughout my career, I struggled with depression and anxiety at various times, and I found it so difficult to get the help I needed," the Olympic swimmer said in a 2018 statement on his partnership with the therapy app Talkspace.

"One of my team members offered to write a statement saying that I’d been taken ill, but I didn’t want to do that. I was done with putting out statements that masked what was really going on. I wanted to tell the truth. Anxiety is nothing to be ashamed of; it affects millions of people every day. I know I have fans out there who have been through this kind of thing, too, and I wanted to be honest for their sake, if nothing else.

"When I was in One Direction, my anxiety issues were huge but, within the safety net of the band, they were at least manageable. As a solo performer, I felt much more exposed, and the psychological stress of performing had just gotten to be too much for me to handle—at that moment, at least. Rather than hiding away, sugar-coating it, I knew I had to put it all out there."

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Getty ImagesJoe Robbins

Royce White

Pro basketball player Royce White has been open about having generalised anxiety disorder and a fear of flying. ""It's a day-by-day struggle for me," he told CNN in 2012.

In October of 2018, the radio host released a memoir called Shook One: Anxiety Playing Tricks on Me. Earlier in the year, Charlamagne Tha God talked about his struggles with anxiety and panic attacks in an op-ed for Men's Health.

"I have had anxiety literally my whole life," he said. "When you’re young and running the streets, you think all of that paranoia and anxiousness comes with the territory. As you get older, when you’re damn near 40, and life is good and you still have those feelings…that’s when you know something is wrong."

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Getty ImagesClive Brunskill

Mardy Fish

In 2012, Mardy Fish pulled out of the US Open before facing off against Roger Federer. He cited "health reasons," which turned out to be the symptoms of severe anxiety disorder, according to USA Today.

“It’s OK not to be OK,” he told the outlet in 2017. “To show weakness, we’re told in sports, is to deserve shame. But showing weakness, addressing your mental health, is strength.”

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Getty ImagesThe Sporting News

Rick Ankiel

In 2000, former professional baseball player Rick Ankiel suddenly lost his ability to pitch – and severe anxiety turned out to be the culprit, according to USA Today.

“For anyone who hasn’t had it happen to them, they don’t understand how deep and how dark it is," he told the publication in 2017. "It consumes you. It’s not just on the field. It never goes away. … It’s this ongoing battle with your own brain. You know what you want to do—in your heart. But your body and brain won’t let you do it.”

"I suffered some pretty serious confidence issues when I first appeared on stage," he wrote. "I'm naturally a fairly confident person in most situations, but not all. At that point any natural confidence I had was being taken over by nerves because back then I had no idea how to channel and control my anxiety.

"One Direction have always been a band that gigs heavily, so over time I've been able to learn about nerves, to understand why and when they might hit and, best of all, how to control them."

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